


One

by Nation_Ustria



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Draco Malfoy likes Disney, Draco has a friend, Draco in the DA, Draco is not Malfoy, F/M, Feels, Good Draco Malfoy, Happy Ending, Harry Potter AU, I wrote this in a weird format but once you get used to it it's really good, Kissing, Literal Sleeping Together, Magic, Magical Bond, Mind Meld, Muggleborn Slytherin, No Smut, Non-Sexual Intimacy, POV Draco Malfoy, This covers all seven books, attempted self-harm, but not in the way you think, maybe some angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:02:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nation_Ustria/pseuds/Nation_Ustria
Summary: We all know how Draco's story goes, but this time when he went through it, he didn't go alone. The first muggleborn Slytherin is a strong-willed, smart girl who secretly becomes Draco's best friend. Ever since they were eleven years old, they've had a magical bond that makes them unique to the rest of the world, which is what got both of them through their school years and the last Wizarding War. Together they brave everything that the world throws at them—while keeping their relationship a secret to protect Draco.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Kathryn Mayfield, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 24





	One

**Author's Note:**

> I know I wrote this with an odd style, but it's simply to provide a sort of rhythm to a story that spans many years.  
> I also combined elements from both the books and the films.  
> Enjoy! :)

Draco Malfoy is eleven when Harry Potter rejects his offer of friendship, choosing the idiotic Weasley boy over him. He’s eleven when he’s sorted into Slytherin, and he’s eleven when he meets the first ever muggleborn Slytherin, who slides onto the bench next to him and introduces herself as Kathryn Mayfield. She has an aura of confidence, and for the first time Malfoy thinks that maybe some Mudbloods are equals, because the girl sitting next to him is anything but inferior. 

Malfoy is eleven when the same girl pulls him into an empty classroom, long blonde hair contrasted by deep brown eyes that are hard as steel when she challenges him, determined to stop his bullying before it even starts. He’s eleven when he offers the girl his hand instead, wanting to be her friend, even though his father’s voice scolds him in the back of his mind. She somehow knows what it means for him, and so she accepts, but even as they shake she tells him not to let anyone know, she doesn’t want to get him in trouble. 

Malfoy is eleven when he meets up with his best friend in empty classrooms and abandoned hallways, and they study and talk and laugh. He’s eleven when they work together to get a muggle television working so Kathryn can show him her favorite movies on VHS, and in turn Malfoy tells her all about the world she just became a part of. 

Malfoy is eleven when for the first time he has someone he trusts, and he values their friendship above everything else, even though his ideals haven’t changed. He’s eleven when he finds himself making more and more exceptions to the rules his father taught him, and he determines to make sure Kathryn is the only exception.

Malfoy is eleven when he catches Potter and his two friends in Hagrid’s cabin, and the four of them are given detention. He’s eleven when Kathryn steps out of the shadows so McGonagall can see her, pretending to not like Malfoy as she claims she was suspicious of her classmate sneaking out of the dorms, and then there’s five detentions instead of four. Malfoy pretends to belittle her, calling her things that he’s used a thousand times but now makes him wince internally, but when she looks at him, he can see the amusement dancing behind her eyes. He hides a smile as they start their new game, having verbal battles in public, him belittling her status as she attacks his. They laugh in the classrooms, teasing each other for stupid insults, becasue they know not to go too far. 

Malfoy is eleven when Kathryn goes into the Forbidden Forest with him and the others. He’s eleven when they split into groups, Granger and Weasley going with Hagrid while Malfoy and Kathryn get placed with Potter, Fang trailing at their heels. When they find the _thing_ drinking the unicorn’s blood, Malfoy runs in terror with Kathryn close behind, heart pounding in his chest. Malfoy is eleven when they make a wrong turn and they plummet off of a four-foot cliff, landing hard on a bed of temeran flowers and are knocked out by the dangerous plant’s magic. He’s eleven when the plant binds him to his friend, connecting them in a way never seen before. Hagrid is quick to bring them to the hospital wing when he finds them, a shaken Harry trailing behind with his friends. 

Malfoy is eleven when he wakes up at the same time as his best friend and realizes with a start that there are two voices in his head. He’s eleven when he and Kathryn simultaneously lie to Madam Pomfrey, assuring her that they feel fine even though they can’t distinguish their own thoughts from the other’s. Madam Pomfrey gives them the day off, and the two of them spend the rest of the day in their classroom, trying to figure out what’s wrong with them. They hear each other’s thoughts as if they were their own, their emotions mirrored into each other, which is not helpful when both of them are trying not to panic. Eventually they end up in the library, Kathryn silently reading a book on telepathy, the words running through Malfoy’s head as he leans on a table, burying his face in his arms. 

Malfoy is eleven when they stop trying to fix themselves and start utilizing their new bond instead, using it as a tool. He’s eleven when they finally get things under control, when each other’s thoughts become background noise and they talk silently across classrooms, checking in on each other when they feel the other get upset or scared. Often they’ll take turns giving a running commentary of the lesson, usually with a great deal of sarcasm, and the other has to make up an excuse as to why they sniggered in the middle of the Professor's sentence. 

Malfoy is eleven when he wakes up with Kathryn sitting on his bed, shaking his shoulder to get him out of the nightmare that had leaked into her own dreams. He’s eleven when Kathryn realizes how afraid he is of his father and how desperately he wants his approval. Kathryn gently tells him that sometimes his father is wrong, using her own blood status as an example. 

Malfoy is eleven when Kathryn starts calling him Draco, insisting that he doesn’t have to be everything being a Malfoy entails. He’s eleven when he starts calling her Katie, and she helps him figure out who he wants to be. Malfoy is eleven when he starts becoming Draco, someone different from the Malfoy persona he wears in public, a persona he only maintains out of fear of his father. He’s eleven when he first finds his opinions differing from his father’s and doesn’t know what to make of it. 

Draco is eleven when Dumbledore gives Gryffindor just enough points to take the house cup, and Katie quietly consoles him from halfway down the table. He’s eleven when he pretends to fall asleep on the train home, making Crabb and Goyle leave him alone as Katie reads a book at the other end of the train. He watches the story unfold in his mind, Katie’s vivid imagination giving the story a three-dimensional detail that the muggle movies can’t even come close to imitating. 

Draco is eleven when he returns to his cold, lonely mansion, spending his days reading or talking to Katie. He’s eleven when his best friend opens her mind to him, letting him experience an imitation of what she gets to do with her family and muggle friends. For the first time Draco wishes for a different life.

Draco is twelve when he notices one of their house-elves vanish for hours at a time. He’s twelve when he overhears his father talking about the Heir of Slytherin, the hidden chamber deep inside Hogwarts, the monster that killed a girl fifty years ago, the spiders that fled the castle, and worry washes down Draco’s spine. He reaches out to Katie, and together they read through all of the material on magical beasts they can get their hands on. They get suspicious when Katie reads the entry on basilisks in _Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them_ , but they don’t know for sure. 

Draco is twelve when his father takes him to Diagon Alley to get his new school supplies, and Draco ends up being deposited in Flourish and Blotts. He’s twelve when he makes his way up the stairs to escape the crowds clamoring for the book signing below, and a lone title catches his eye. He pulls the book out, flipping through the catalog of monsters until he finds what he’s looking for, and his and Katie’s suspicions are confirmed. Katie asks him what’s wrong, having felt the surprise and worry ripple through him, but he doesn’t answer, instead tearing the page out of the book and shoving it in his robes. 

Draco is twelve when he has to be Malfoy again, running into Potter and the Weasleys at the bottom of the stairs. He’s twelve when he notices his father slip a book into the Weasley girl’s bucket, but he doesn’t have time to wonder before his father pulls him away. 

Draco is twelve when he reunites with Katie on Platform 9 ¾, and for the first time in months he actually smiles. He’s twelve when she smiles back, winking and silently telling him that she’s brought an extra trunk full of movies for them to watch before hurrying to board the train. 

Draco is twelve when he tries out for the Quidditch team, and his elation when he scores the position as Seeker sends both him and Katie into a dizzy, happy, and somewhat distracted mood for over a week. He’s twelve when he writes home to tell his father about it, and when the Slytherin team receives Nimbus 2001s a few days later he can’t help but grin. He still has to act like an arrogant jerk, even to his teammates, but that night he and Katie sneak out to the field and he takes her flying. 

Draco is twelve when he sees the first message written in blood on the walls, and a sentence he heard his father say he repeats without thinking. He’s twelve, and Katie’s hurt is the first indication of what he said, and he has to school his features as horror and shame fills him. He knows he’s hurt her, and so he avoids her the rest of the night. 

Draco is twelve when he has nightmares again, filled with giant snakes, petrified statues and letters written in blood. He’s twelve when Katie gently wakes him up, holding him as he tries to steady his breathing, but he’s shaking so badly. She silently tells him that she doesn’t care what he said, that she knows he didn’t mean it. She’s felt his shame and self-loathing, and she doesn’t want him to hurt anymore. 

Draco is twelve when he helps Katie with the Transfiguration homework she’s been struggling with. He’s twelve when he answers her incessant questions about magic and the wizarding world, questions she can’t get answered anywhere else as others avoid her because of her blood status or her house. 

Draco is twelve when he plays his first Quidditch game, up against Potter for the win. He’s twelve when a bludger targets Harry, following the Gryffindor with a deadly aim. The boy goes for the snitch anyway, and Draco pulls up alongside him, racing after the tiny golden ball. They’re neck and neck when Katie sends him a mental image along with an explanation, Dobby, controlling the bludger. Distracted and startled, Draco’s broom clips a beam and he flips into the air, landing hard on the turf. Draco is twelve when Potter catches the snitch and Gryffindor wins, but Potter had more than earned the victory by Draco’s account, having been targeted by a bludger and broken his arm, though Draco’s still not happy about the loss. He’s twelve when Katie pulls him to their classroom in the middle of the night, both to stop his nightmares and to comfort each other after the defeat, and they watch a succession of Disney movies and talk excitedly about the next movie about to come out, Aladdin. 

Draco is twelve when he hears the slithering in the walls and notices Potter following it, anxiously talking about a voice. He’s twelve when more students are petrified, and his stomach sinks because he and Katie alone know how. 

Draco is twelve when Professor Snape calls him up to the dueling tarmac and he decides to test one of his theories. He’s twelve when he conjures a snake, and he feels a surge of validation when his theory is confirmed; Potter _is_ a Parseltongue. Katie’s resulting start of surprise sends him off balance, and he hurriedly gets off the tarmac. 

Draco is twelve when he settles in the common room with Crabb and Goyle, and to keep up his facade he starts the usual trash-talk about Potter and the Weasleys. He’s twelve when he notices their odd behavior, especially when Crabb moves to punch him. It’s only then that Katie informs him from across the common room that Granger has been stewing polyjuice potion in one of the girls’ bathrooms, and together they conclude that the trio are trying to figure out who the Heir of Slytherin is. So Draco goes off on a wild ramble on his speculations about the heir, spouting out things he’d heard from his father over the summer, and pretends not to notice when Crabb’s hair goes a flaming red. 

Draco is twelve when two more are petrified, and he talks with Katie late one night, trying to decide what to do. He’s twelve when he slips the page on basilisks into Granger’s bag in the library, but that night he’s jerked from sleep by Katie’s alarm when she’s told that Granger was petrified. 

Draco is twelve and he debates whether or not to tell the teachers, knowing what an uproar it would cause. He’s twelve as he goes to tell Professor Lockhart what he knows after the Weasley girl disappears, Katie silently supporting him, but he stops outside the classroom when he hears Potter and the Weasley boy inside. He’s twelve as he presses himself into the shadows of the wall, Potter and Weasley leading the Professor at wandpoint past him. 

Draco is twelve when he wakes up in pain, the combined stress of the guilt and worry that has piled up on him the entire school year making him physically ill. He’s twelve when his best friend gathers him into her arms on his bed, pressing against him as she uses their connection to transfer some of his pain to her. It’s just enough, and they both fall asleep exhausted, waiting for the sunrise and news of Potter and Weasley’s success. 

Draco is twelve when he sits across from Katie in the Great Hall, not caring for once if someone suspects their friendship. He’s twelve when a weight disappears from his shoulders as Dumbledore announces the safe retrieval of Ginny Weasley and the death of Slytherin’s monster. 

Draco is thirteen when he hears that Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban. He’s thirteen, and he’s even more afraid when Dumbledore announces that dementors will protect the school. 

Draco is thirteen and for the first time Katie doesn’t have all of the same classes as him. He’s thirteen and as the new limits have been imposed he can’t go to the classroom with Katie anymore. For the first time in a long, long while, he feels alone. 

Draco is thirteen and he finds himself sliding into the role of Malfoy easier, too easy. He’s thirteen and he half means it when he insults the hippogriff, as tired and irritable as he is. When Buckbeak strikes him he actually gets upset, cursing the bird on his way to the hospital wing. Katie lectures him, but he shuts her voice out, wanting to be alone. 

Draco is thirteen when Sirius Black gets into the castle. He’s thirteen and he never gets to spend time with his best friend anymore, he’s irate and grumpy and his temper is shortened to almost nothing. 

Draco is thirteen when he has his first big fight with Katie. He’s thirteen when they close their connection off from both sides, a tunnel that’s been shut. He can still hear her distantly, but its muted, and half the time he wishes it weren’t there at all. 

Draco is thirteen when he watches the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Qidditch match in the pouring rain and dementors descend from the sky. He’s thirteen when his body goes numb, when his happiness starts to leak away. He stumbles off the stands, barely getting to the walkways below before he collapses, body on fire with pain, his father’s shouts echoing in his ears. Then someone’s holding him, arms wrapped around him as his head presses against their chest. Slowly, the pain ebbs, and Draco hears the rhythm of Katie’s voice in his head, repeating reassurances over and over. Draco is thirteen when he and Katie find out that their bond makes them much more vulnerable to dementors. He’s thirteen when they relive their worst memories. Draco’s was the one time his father beat him, while Katie had been more lucky, hers being their fight. But they share each other’s pain, and while stinging tears drip down their faces they make up, not wanting to be apart again. 

Draco is thirteen, and though he can’t hang out with his best friend, they fire one-liners at each other all day and compete to see who can come up with the worst insult in public. He’s thirteen and while he gets pulled into belittling Potter for falling off his broom, something Draco had missed, his life gets brighter as he and Katie make each other laugh, help each other with homework across the common room and read each other books when they really should be sleeping. 

Draco is thirteen when Potter gets a Firebolt and Katie distracts him from his brief jealousy by dragging him down to the Quidditch field to play a two-person game with the quaffle, Katie borrowing a teammate’s Nimbus. He’s thirteen when they have to dart out of sight so the Ravenclaw team doesn’t see them together, baffling the captain with a quaffle left in the middle of the field. 

Draco is thirteen when he meets up with Katie in Honeydukes, pretending that they don’t really know each other while keeping a string of banter and candy puns going in their heads. He’s thirteen when he goes with Crabb and Goyle to the Shrieking Shack, only half paying attention to their conversation because he’s still talking with Katie. When they end up confronting Granger and Weasley, Draco reluctantly steps into the role of Malfoy, silently hating himself even as he insults them. He’s startled to say the least when a snowball comes out of nowhere and hits him square in the face, followed by a dozen more before something grabs his legs, dragging him towards the Shrieking Shack. He kicks it off and scrambles away, but not before glancing back to see Potter’s disembodied head laughing after him. 

Draco is thirteen when he’s talking with Crabb and Goyle on the grounds and Granger yells at him. He’s thirteen when Hermione presses her wand against his throat before punching him in the face. His head slams against the stone behind him and he yelps before scrambling off. Draco is thirteen when he hears Katie’s laughter in his mind and looks up to see her looking down at him from a window, hand over her mouth. He’s thirteen when his best friend reprimands him for sending a majestic creature to its death between bursts of laughter, and Draco has to admit that he deserved the punch. 

Draco’s thirteen when he finds out that Sirius Black has escaped, but Hogwarts is safe and he gets to spend time with Katie again. He’s thirteen, and life is good again, at least until the summer.

Draco is fourteen when he manages to get an extra ticket for the Quidditch World Cup, which he sends to Katie so she can go with another wizarding family. He’s fourteen when he sees her across the sea of tents and waves, starting a conversation infused with excitement that doesn’t end until he’s seated in the Minister’s box with his father. They’re both rooting for Ireland, but Katie is most excited to see Krum play. 

Draco is fourteen when he pretends to study in his tent while talking with Katie, going over their favorite points of the match and theorizing about how Bulgaria managed to get actual Veelas. He’s fourteen when his father apparates into the tent and shoves something at him, telling him to get out. Draco runs, and it’s only once he’s outside the tent does he see the muggles floating in the air, the Death Eaters marching between tents and setting them on fire. Draco is fourteen when he frantically coordinates with Katie, reaching her seconds before the portkey in his hands starts to glow. He’s fourteen when him and his best friend are jerked back to the Malfoy Manor, and they sit there, shaken, until Draco leads her to the main fireplace, wordlessly holding out a bowl of floo powder so she can get home. They’re quiet that night, and over the next week they take turns waking each other up from their nightmares. 

Draco is fourteen when the Triwizard Tournament is announced and he and Katie keep talking long after Dumbledore calls for silence. He’s fourteen when he watches the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang enter the Great Hall, and his and Katie’s excitement goes through the roof when they see Krum among the Durmstrang students. 

Draco is fourteen when he and Katie stay up until midnight almost every night, technically working on homework but constantly getting sidetracked. He’s fourteen when Katie watches the Weasley twins try to enter their names, which she later retells to him with a mixture of words and images, all while holding back laughter. 

Draco’s fourteen when Cedric Diggory’s name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, and while he’s disappointed it’s not a Slytherin, Draco wants Diggory to win. He’s fourteen when Harry Potter’s name comes out of the Goblet of Fire and his surprise mixed with Katie’s almost gives them heart attacks. Their chests hurt for days afterwards, but they can’t help but debate whether or not Potter counts as a true Champion. In the end they decide that Diggory is the actual champion, but they aren’t sure what Potter is. 

Draco is fourteen when other Slytherins come to him with the idea of badges; Draco’s one of the best students in their year, just behind Granger with Katie following in third, and they want Draco’s help to make them. He’s fourteen and is acting as Malfoy when he complies. 

Draco is fourteen when he’s with other boys in one of the courtyards, aimlessly chatting about the tournament. He’s fourteen when Potter crosses the courtyard and the other boys look at Draco expectantly. Draco jumps out of the tree, lashing at Potter with a barb, but his vision goes red when Potter fires back. Draco hears Katie’s warning from across the courtyard just as he’s pulling out his wand. Draco is fourteen when Professor Moody turns him into a ferret. He’s fourteen and terrified, everything is disjointed and wrong and it’s only Katie’s voice running through his mind that’s keeping him from blacking out. Then the world twists and he’s laying on the leaf-covered cobblestones, human again with the looming Professor Moody still pointing his wand at him, a red-faced Professor McGonagall at his side. Draco is fourteen when he scrambles away from the others, closing himself in an abandoned classroom as he goes into a full-scale panic attack. He’s fourteen when Katie kneels at his side, letting him clench her hand as she keeps running words through their heads, making a steady rhythm to distract him from his panic, but it’s hard for him to breathe. By the time he calms down they’re both late for class, but Katie says she doesn’t care when Draco apologizes. She says Draco’s more important to her than school is, and she squeezes his hand before slipping away. 

Draco is fourteen when he roots for Diggory against the dragon. He’s fourteen and everything is enhanced because he experiences it all twice-over, Katie’s emotions and thoughts just as valid as his as they watch the task. 

Draco is fourteen when the Yule Ball is announced, and immediately his mind goes to Katie before his heart sinks with disappointment as he remembers the repercussions of being seen with her. He’s fourteen when he realizes his best friend feels the same way, her disappointment mingling with his as they both try to consider other options. Draco is fourteen when the boys in his year dare each other to go out with certain girls, and Draco has to conceal his delight when he’s dared to ask Katie, a dare the entire common room hears. He’s fourteen when he publicly interacts positively with his best friend for the first time, arrogantly asking her across the common room if she’d go with him, his softer, mental voice asking her with hope. She pretends to consider before she responds verbally, but mentally she had responded immediately with a very enthusiastic _Yes!_

Draco is fourteen when he takes his muggleborn best friend to a dance, having to keep up most of his facade but struggling to do so because he’s so excited. He’s fourteen and they’ve practiced the choreographed opening dance in their classroom almost every night, and as he leads her on the floor, her elegant silver dress sweeping behind her, they’re as happy as they can ever remember being. Draco has one of the best nights of his life, and after they exhaust themselves they sneak to their classroom to watch Star Wars: A New Hope, Katie’s favorite movie. They talk after they finish, and they fall asleep next to each other on the pile of pillows they pulled from the cupboard. 

Draco is fourteen when he wakes up with his best friend’s head on his chest, morning light filtering through the classroom windows. He’s fourteen as he looks down at her in surprise. Her leg is pressed against his and her light curls have come loose and are tumbled across his chest as she sleeps. Draco looks at her, and he wonders why he never noticed how beautiful his friend is before. 

Draco is fourteen when his classmates bring a small beetle to the group, cupped carefully in their hands. He’s fourteen when he lies between his teeth to a reporter, hating himself for doing it even as Katie asks what’s wrong. 

Draco is fourteen and freezing as he watches the second task, his excitement dulled as he stares at the smooth lake. He’s fourteen as he hangs on the railing, listening to Katie read a muggle fantasy novel and watching the images form in his mind. He’s so absorbed in the story he doesn’t notice that Cedric has resurfaced until he hears the cheering. 

Draco is fourteen when he teaches Katie the basics of how to draw, a talent he’s kept to himself for years. He’s fourteen when Katie teaches him how to braid her hair, insisting that it’s a useful thing to know as she lets him use her for practice. 

Draco is fourteen when they watch the third task, Katie relaying tiny details she can see from her lucky spot in the front row, telling Draco how nervous Harry Potter looks, how Cedric hides his nerves with a smile, how Krum seems confident that he will win and how Fleur’s strong determination shines like a beacon. He’s fourteen when he takes a turn reading while they wait, his imagination not as vivid as Katie’s but the story still interesting just the same. When Harry and Cedric appear with the cup, Draco is one of the first to know that something’s wrong, jerking up from his book at Katie’s horror even as the rest of the stand bursts into cheers. Draco pushes his way down the rows to Katie, shoving his way forward as people go quiet. 

Draco is fourteen when he sees Cedric’s body for himself. He’s fourteen when Harry Potter tells them that the Dark Lord is back. Draco’s mind gets stuck, daggers of pain shooting through his head as he and Katie struggle to comprehend what’s going on. Nausea slams into him and he gags, trying not to vomit as Katie grabs his arm, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. For the first time since the very beginning, Draco can’t tell what’s him and what’s her. 

They are fourteen when their world is shattered. They’re fourteen, and they don’t return to their dorms, instead they go to their classroom because everything is broken and they think and feel as one. They fall asleep on the pillows, him holding her as they try to quiet the horror flowing through them, the fear of what is to come. 

They are fourteen when they spend an entire day trying to separate themselves, trying to regain their individuality. He’s fourteen when they finally manage it, and it hurts, as if they’re being torn in half. 

Draco is fourteen when he has to go back to the Malfoy Manor. He’s fourteen when he gets pulled away from his best friend just after they regain a semblance of normality.

Draco is fifteen when he finally gets to see Katie again, a summer apart almost painful after what they’d been through together. He’s fifteen as he hugs her tightly in the train corridor on his way to the Prefect’s car. She hugs him back, and for the first time in months they feel like they can relax, for some reason being close to each other makes things seem like they’re going to be okay. Draco is fifteen when Katie squeezes his hand before they separate, a promise of facing the school year together. He’s fifteen when he enters the Prefect’s car, having to pull up his Malfoy facade as he spits a wry remark at Granger and Weasley. He keeps talking, weaving insult after insult into his dialog as he chats with Pansy Parkinson, not really paying attention to what he’s saying. 

Draco is fifteen when the indignant Professor Umbridge inspects the teachers, and once again Draco lies through his teeth. He’s fifteen and he hates himself, hating everything he says or does as Malfoy, hating that he belittles others and lies to hurt people and to get them in trouble, hating that he knows exactly how. 

Draco is fifteen when he points his wand at his wrists, alone in his dorm room. He’s fifteen when his incantation is only stopped by Katie forcing a mental image at him that’s so real it’s all he can see until she’s at his side, ripping his wand out of his hands as she holds him. She tells him that he’s not Malfoy, that he shouldn’t hate himself because he’s not the mask he wears. She tells him that the very fact that he doesn’t like what he does proves that he’s a good person. Draco is fifteen when his only friend desperately tries to help him, begging him not to hurt himself. He’s fifteen when she starts crying, because he doesn’t believe her and she knows it. She hurts as much as he does, and their pain reflects the other’s until they’re feeling the same. They cry out as they meld again, becoming one. 

They are fifteen when there are two bodies but one mind, a single person bound together by emotion and magic. They’re fifteen when they struggle to figure out who exactly Draco Malfoy is, silent tears running down their cheeks until they manage to get their pain under control, stepping back to look at things scientifically. They finally manage to figure things out, coming to a simple conclusion that puts them at peace. 

Draco is fifteen when he goes from part of a whole to one of two, pulling apart again. He’s fifteen when he’s finally able to see himself in a different light, Katie’s memories reinforcing his own thoughts. Draco is fifteen when he clutches his best friend just as tight as she holds him, realizing for the first time how much he needs her and how glad he is that she’s there. 

Draco is fifteen when he goes up against Gryffindor again in Quidditch, and for the first time in a long while they win, mostly because of the Weasley keeper. He’s fifteen when the words of a stupid, insulting song pop into his head and Katie laughs. She stops laughing when it gets stuck in their heads for over a week, and she has him write it down in hopes that it will stop. He doesn’t mean for anyone else to know about it, but Crabb finds the sheet and is delighted. 

Draco is fifteen when he’s dragged into orchestrating a dozen students to belittle Ron Weasley and the rest of the Gryffindor team with his song. He’s fifteen and wishes he’d never written it down as he has to take Malfoy to the next level, now in just as much danger from the school’s retribution as his father’s. 

Draco is fifteen when he thinks about hurting himself again and Katie confiscates his wand, dragging him to their classroom to watch the newest Disney movies. He’s fifteen when Katie starts coaching him with his homework, helping him stay on top of it while not getting overwhelmed. 

Draco is fifteen when he finally believes that he is not Malfoy. He’s fifteen when he realizes he no longer cares about the Malfoy heritage or blood status, no longer cares about everything his father raised him to think. 

Draco is fifteen when Katie joins Dumbledore’s Army, the sole Slytherin to sign the roster. He’s fifteen and Katie trusts him not to tell, because Hermione’s jinx doesn’t extend to their bond and so Draco knows. Draco somewhat envies Katie, free to be who she is in public, and she notices. After every meeting she rendezvous with Draco in their classroom and she teaches him what Harry taught her. 

Draco is fifteen and he struggles to not cringe away from Umbridge, but Malfoy is one of her favorites, and Draco dutifully reports wrongdoings alongside the others who saw them. He’s fifteen and the school hates him, but Katie doesn’t and that’s all he cares about. 

Draco is fifteen and in a meeting with Umbridge and her other cronies when the biggest wave of pain and fear he’s ever felt slams at him from Katie’s side. He’s fifteen when he makes a lame excuse and rushes to the Room of Requirement, not caring if other members of the DA see him. Draco is fifteen when he discovers his best friend’s greatest fear through a boggart. He’s fifteen when he runs in to see a duplicate Katie writhing on the ground as a duplicate of him curses her, laughing. Potter steps in and the boggart focuses on him, but Draco doesn’t look to see what the boy’s fear is as he rushes to Katie’s side. Katie is on her knees, hugging herself as she sobs. Draco is fifteen when he gathers his best friend into his arms, replicating what she had done so many times for him. He’s fifteen as he murmurs assurances into her ear, mentally reciting he same words as he holds her, promising her that she’s safe. Draco is fifteen when Potter, Granger and Weasley find out that the bully they know is a lie, that Malfoy is a mask. He’s fifteen when Hermione, still somewhat shocked and confused, offers to let him join the DA. He accepts, signing the role, but before he does Granger adds a new layer of spells to the parchment, disabling members from talking about other member’s behavior outside of the club, excepting only herself, Weasley, Potter, Katie and Draco. 

Draco is fifteen when he goes to his first DA meeting. He’s fifteen when the room stares at him in shock, and several curse at him, causing him to visibly wince. He’s not using his mask, and the others are baffled at the kind and somewhat sarcastic boy who’s taken the place of their bully. For the first time Draco and Katie are themselves with each other around others, and they keep a constant string of banter running the entire night. 

Draco is fifteen when one member of the DA, a Ravenclaw boy who’s received more than his fair share of belittling from Malfoy, improperly and furiously curses Draco during a practice duel and both Draco and Katie collapse to the ground screaming. He’s fifteen when Hermione hurriedly reverses the curse, and Draco and Katie vomit before simultaneously passing out. Draco is fifteen when he and Katie wake up on a pile of pillows, not quite melded but thoughts meshed quite a bit. He’s fifteen when Hermione gently questions them and they struggle to individualize themselves as they explain, finishing each other’s sentences and speaking together as Hermione’s eyebrows travel higher and higher, a skeptical Ron and a concerned Harry watching from behind. They gradually manage to separate, but it’s after midnight by the time their explanation is done and both of them have a pounding headache. 

Draco is fifteen and meeting with Umbridge when Marietta Edgecomb comes and spills about the DA, just managing to get it all out before her skin erupts with boils. He’s fifteen when he sends Katie a warning filled with alarm, telling her to destroy the roster and get everyone out as Umbridge hurries to the Room of Requirement, Draco and the other Slytherins hot on her heels. They catch Harry and the remains of the roster, _Dumbledore’s Army_ and Harry’s signature the only part not burnt to ash. 

Draco is fifteen when Umbridge inducts him into her Inquisitorial Squad. He’s fifteen and sick to his stomach at what Umbridge expects him to do, but he goes about it anyway, only now, some of the DA members wink or pull stupid faces at him behind the others’ backs and Draco lets his mask slip just for a second to reply in kind. 

Draco is fifteen when he dances with Katie in their classroom, recreating their dance at the Yule Ball over a year ago. He’s fifteen when Katie brings a baby rabbit she found into his dorm and they let it explore for a while before they somewhat sadly release it back into the wild. 

Draco is fifteen as he and Katie study for O.W.L.s, pop quizzing each other randomly through the day. He’s fifteen when he takes his O.W.L.s, moderately cheating as Katie’s knowledge filters into his. 

Draco is fifteen when Harry, Hermione and the others return from the Department of Mysteries with Dumbledore and all hell breaks loose. He’s fifteen when his father is confirmed a Death Eater by Harry and he has another panic attack in his room, Katie holding him once again. He doesn’t want to go home when the last days of school are over, doesn’t want to be a part of his father’s schemes. But he has nowhere else to go, and even if he did, he'd be hunted down by the Dark Lord’s followers, probably his own father. 

Draco is fifteen when he boards the train to go back home, more terrified than he’s ever been in his life.

Draco is sixteen when he meets the Dark Lord himself, kneeling before him in the mansion's library. He’s sixteen and shaking with fear when Voldemort asks Draco if he’ll serve him. Draco knows what refusing means, so he weakly says yes and cries out in pain when the Dark Lord brands his mark onto Draco’s arm. 

Draco is sixteen when Voldemort tasks him with killing Dumbledore. He’s sixteen and terrified, and when he goes to bed Katie silently comforts him. She knew what was happening the moment she felt the brand on Draco’s arm, though the task Voldemort had given had surprised her just as much. 

Draco is sixteen and more stressed than he’s ever been in his life. He’s sixteen when he gives up, barely surviving until the first day of school when he curls up in the corner of Katie’s train compartment, listening to her read. 

Draco is sixteen and considers suicide, seeing no other way to get out of his predicament. He’s sixteen and he wants it to end, wants to be safe again. Katie slips into his room and brings him to their classroom, dusty from the summer but still familiar. Draco is sixteen and shaking when his best friend pulls him down next to her, lacing her fingers with his. He’s sixteen and though she never asks, he knows what she’s thinking. He’s willing to try it. 

Draco is sixteen when he intentionally melds with Katie for the first time and they fall asleep together. They’re sixteen when they dream together for the first time, two sets of memories intertwining. They wake themself up early, working to separate from each other. It’s easier than before, both of them sorted out after an hour or so. Draco is sixteen when he somewhat reluctantly goes to class, but feeling rejuvenated and slightly more optimistic than before. He’s sixteen when they meld again the next night, and he feels safe, complete when he’s a part of her and she’s a part of him. Separating in the morning is even smoother than before. This continues for over a week, and Draco is temporarily freed from being Voldemort’s slave when he’s not Draco at all, but part of a larger whole.

Draco is sixteen when he melds with Katie across a distance for the first time, and it’s a startling experience for both of them. He’s sixteen and in Charms, sitting across the classroom from Katie when they meld with no warning. They’re shocked and disoriented, and they put their heads down on their desks, unable to comprehend the lesson when seeing it two ways at once. They spend the rest of the class period separating themselves, but it’s harder than when they’re alone. They just manage to regain their individuality as the class ends, both of them calling sick so they can go back to their dorms, exhausted and wanting sleep. 

Draco is sixteen when he and Katie start to meld every night, even in their separate dorms. He’s sixteen when they discover that it’s impossible for them to sleep without melding anymore, so if one stays up, so does the other. It becomes natural to them, melding as they drift off and separating as they wake up, each an individual by the time they get out of their beds. 

Draco is sixteen and barely a month into his sixth year at Hogwarts when the Dark Mark on his arm burns, reminding him of the task he’s been assigned. He’s sixteen when Professor Snape approaches him and reveals his own mark, offering to help. Draco is surprised, horrified and relieved all at once. He doesn’t want to kill Dumbledore, but at least he’s not completely alone. 

Draco is sixteen when he does another Disney Marathon with Katie, procrastinating homework until he has to cram to get it all done. He’s sixteen when he teaches her how to do a gravity-reversal charm and they talk on the ceiling for hours. 

Draco is sixteen when Katie kisses him for the first time, as they end a dance session in their classroom. He’s sixteen and staring after her as she leaves, lips still tingling. He’s elated and happy, but most of all it just feels _right_. Katie is already his other half, they’re part of a whole. Draco hasn't really thought about marriage before, but he knows who he wants to spend his life with, and he knows she feels the same way. 

Draco is sixteen when he’s summoned back to the Malfoy Manor over Christmas break to give a personal report to the Dark Lord. He’s sixteen and his voice is trembling as he reports what little progress he’s managed, and he’s right to be afraid, because the next second he’s on the ground screaming, Voldemort taking out his displeasure on him. Draco screams until the intensity suddenly fades. He’s still hurting, but much of the pain is gone, and he starts when he realizes that Katie is being tortured, too, having pulled his pain into her. 

Draco is sixteen when he returns to school, when he and Katie take turns reading to each other to help them relax because neither of them can sleep with their minds in hyperdrive, trying to figure out how to get out of this. 

Draco is sixteen when he trails off during a conversation with Professor Snape, distracted because Katie just fell off a broom. He’s sixteen when Snape first senses his connection to Katie, and the Professor keeps an even closer watch on him. Draco doesn’t notice when he’s followed to his and Katie’s classroom. They are sixteen when Snape stares at the two students who are now one, asleep on a pile of pillows and surrounded by things the two of them had kept secret for six years. They’re sixteen when Snape harshly wakes them up, not allowing them to separate before questioning them. They respond as one, voices in unison and tinted with fear when they answer. 

They are sixteen when Severus Snape starts protecting them both because much of the time they are the same person. They’re sixteen when he coldly tells them not to let the Dark Lord know, because Voldemort would kill them. 

Draco is sixteen and pulled deeper and deeper into Voldemort’s schemes, his bond with Katie his only lifeline. He’s sixteen when Snape comes with a message from Voldemort, giving Draco an exact time to fulfill his task. 

Draco is sixteen the night Death Eaters break into Hogwarts. He’s sixteen when he disarms a man he respects, a man he’d been brought up to call a fool. Draco’s terrified, his arm shaking as he points his wand at Dumbledore, trying to mutter the curse but not even able to shape the first syllable. Draco is sixteen when Katie melds with him from the other side of the castle and their hand steadies even though they’re still afraid. They’re sixteen when out of nowhere, Dumbledore smiles. They’re standing in confusion facing the man they’ve been commanded to kill when he tells them how unique they are. How special. He tells them that he’s the reason no one found their classroom until Snape followed them, he tells them how proud he is of them for facing something even he didn’t know was possible, and he applauds them for coming so far. They are sixteen when Dumbledore softly says that he forgives them, and tells them where he tucked away a rather extensive letter that will protect and redeem them both with the ministry. They’re sixteen when the man they have been ordered to end secures their future, and they’re in more pain than they’ve ever been in their life. 

They are sixteen when Professor Snape pushes them out of the way. They’re sixteen when Dumbledore pleads with Snape, and Snape kills him in return. Snape turns to them, snapping that the others are coming, and they separate with a jolt, Draco painfully falling to his hands and knees on the stone. Katie is crying, but Draco doesn’t have the luxury of tears as his Aunt orders him to follow them. 

Draco is sixteen when Voldemort claims Hogwarts. He’s sixteen when he loses his home.

Draco is seventeen when Voldemort casts him aside, deciding that he’s too young to serve properly. He’s seventeen and he and Katie spend the first night of the school year moving their things to their own area in the Room of Requirement because Dumbledore’s deterrent charm is fading. 

Draco is seventeen when every student in the school has to line up so the Death Eater teachers can inspect them. He’s seventeen when his heart freezes in fear as Katie is selected out, the only muggleborn to return to school. Katie lifts her chin and proclaims that she tries to make up for her unworthiness as a Mudblood by being everything the Dark Lord looks for in a Slytherin. She’s a good actress, and if Draco couldn’t feel her fear and loathing he’d believe that she would do anything to validate her existence to the Dark Lord. 

Draco is seventeen when he never gets to drop his mask because being seen as someone other than Malfoy means his death. He’s seventeen and he’s even more terrified for Katie than for himself, she barely managed to not get tortured the first time and if she slips up she will be. But she refuses to leave, stubbornly insisting that she’d rather die than leave him alone. 

Draco is seventeen and school is a nightmare, measuring every word he says so he doesn’t get punished. He’s seventeen and he and Katie talk for hours while they pretend to sleep, worrying and speculating and sharing the rumors they heard whispered about where Harry Potter went and those who were resisting the Dark Lord. They can’t trust anyone else, not when students are rewarded for turning others in for wrongdoings. 

They are seventeen when they’re jolted apart in the middle of the night, Draco’s mark burning. He’s seventeen when he rolls over in bed, slipping together with Katie again as they try not to worry about the poor soul who used Voldemort’s name. 

They are seventeen when they almost get caught, Death Eater Professors bursting into Draco’s dorm in the middle of the night to catch rebels and Draco tears himself apart from Katie as he’s thrown out of bed. He’s seventeen and one of the Death Eaters has caught a hint of their bond, wand pressing to Draco’s throat before she recognizes his face, her eyes flicking down to Draco’s arm where his sleeve has been pushed up just enough for the base of his mark to be visible. She dismisses her concern and moves on, and Draco thanks the stars that it was him and not Katie, because otherwise she wouldn’t have been so lenient. 

Draco is seventeen when he regularly sees Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and other members of the DA sporting cuts and bruises from the torture sessions they go through in detention, and his stomach twists in shame, wishing he were free to join them. He’s seventeen when he adds to the pain of others as Malfoy, playing the part he always has, but this time he quietly fights back, shooting hexes at the usual tell-offs alongside the DA. He’s never suspected and he never gets caught, except for the one time Ginny Weasley saw him, and her eyes go wide with hope as she realizes the boy she met in the Room of Requirement isn’t gone. Draco was already hexed less than the others before then, but after that he’s never hexed again, instead finding new hexes written on scraps of parchment that have been slipped into his bag. Draco is seventeen when he hexes members of the DA using their own hexes so they can easily reverse them. He’s seventeen and every member of the DA knows he’s a double agent in their war, and all of them appropriately hate on him and Katie when they realize that for them getting caught means death. Katie can’t risk hexing tell-offs, but she has quite a lot of fun finding new hexes for the DA to use. 

Draco is seventeen when he reluctantly goes back to the Malfoy Manor for Christmas break, forced to play host for dozens of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself. He’s seventeen and he doesn’t dare speak with Katie. The two of them sleep fitfully, sometimes going days between rests so there is less chance of their melding being found out. He hates her having to do it for him, as it makes her stressed and her parents start to worry about her, but she firmly insists it’s better than him ending up dead. 

Draco is seventeen and he survives by reliving Katie’s drastically different Muggle life, her memories just as much his when they meld. He’s seventeen and she relives everything he does, standing with him every step of the way. 

Draco is seventeen and has days left until the break is over when his mark burns once again. He’s seventeen when Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and a very swollen Harry Potter are dragged into the house, luckily while Lord Voldemort is away. He doesn’t give them away at first, but once Harry’s been identified he’s forced to play along. Draco is seventeen when Hermione glares daggers at him as she’s dragged to the cellar, when his shame and fear and Katie’s accompanying horror nearly meld them in a room full of Death Eaters. He’s seventeen when he leans against the wall, struggling to stay individual as Katie scrambles for something to differentiate her emotions from his. She’s just succeeded, apparently by playing with her cat, when Draco slips into the hallways, trying to calm down in the darkness. 

Draco is seventeen when Harry Potter launches himself at him and they struggle, Draco just trying to get Harry _off_ as Harry grabs for Draco’s wand. He’s seventeen when Draco loses his wand to Harry and pretends to black out, listening to the pandemonium in the main dining room. Draco’s seventeen when he’s one of the group the Dark Lord rages at, but Voldemort is most concerned with Draco’s father and least concerned with him. He’s seventeen when he returns to school with a new wand, and Katie helps him hold his temper as he gets used to it. 

Draco’s seventeen when he feeds the rumors that Harry Potter is still alive and fighting. He’s seventeen when he resists in every way he can. 

Draco is seventeen when Crabb and Goyle spot Harry sneaking through the hallways. He’s seventeen when they follow Harry into the Room of Requirement, weaving through the stacks of random objects. Worry builds in Draco’s stomach when Goyle starts the fire and they have to split up. 

Draco is seventeen when he gets trapped between walls of fire. He’s seventeen when Harry comes back for him, dragging him into the corridor as they gasp for clean air. Draco presses his DA galleon into Harry’s hand, giving Harry a shaky smile as he wishes him luck. Harry nods and apologizes for taking Draco’s wand, but Draco just shrugs, and Harry runs off. 

Draco is seventeen and pushing through the crowd of students outside the school to find Katie when Hagrid comes out of the Forbidden Forest holding Harry, and Katie and Draco’s shock is enough to meld them for just a few seconds before they shake themselves apart. He’s seventeen when the spells on the crowd keep breaking and the students fight back, led by Neville wielding the sword of Gryffindor. Draco and Katie fight as well, shooting hexes at every Death Eater they pass as Katie drags Draco by the hand. Some students move to hex the two of them as well, but those are deflected by members of the DA, who shout that the pair are on their side. 

Draco is seventeen when Katie sees his parents running through the crowd, calling Draco’s name. He’s seventeen when his parents see him, his mother running to grab him tight. His father looks relieved until he sees Katie gripping Draco’s hand and disgust fills his face. Lucius Malfoy orders Katie to move away, but Draco pulls her tight against him instead. 

Draco is seventeen when he realizes that the four of them are being surrounded by Death Eaters. He’s seventeen when he looks at his best friend, silently asking a question. Katie smiles at him return. 

Draco is seventeen when he melds with Katie to fight. They’re seventeen when they spin together, calling a curse in tandem that shoots in two different directions from two different wands, each blast more powerful than any normal spell. They move perfectly in sync, step for step and breath by breath, seeing and reacting as one. They fire curse after curse at those that approach them even as they deflect green jets of light away. The last Death Eater falls, and they stand apart from the main battle, back-to-back as their chests heave in unison. They are seventeen when they glance back at Draco’s parents, just quick enough to see the surprise and confusion on their faces. They’re seventeen when they run back into battle, blasting Death Eaters away as they weave through the sets of duelers. They hear Voldemort’s scream and see Nagini’s head spinning through the air, see Neville wielding the ruby-covered sword with deadly accuracy. They hear Hagrid still yelling after Harry, and their hopes leap; he must still be alive. But their hopes don’t neutralize the pain when they see Professor Lupin hit square in the back with a jet of green light and he crumples to the ground; when they see the furious, pink-haired Tonks scream as she stands over his body, firing off a dozen more curses before a green jet hits her in the side and she falls across Lupin, her pink hair turning black. They are seventeen when they see the two fighters fall, and it hurts because they’re too far away to help. They’re seventeen when they bury their pain, focusing on the now. They deflect a jet away from Luna Lovegood, another away from Seamus Finnagin. They drop the Death Eater that’s overpowering Cho Chang, leaping over his body as they keep going. 

They are seventeen when they freeze, because Harry has appeared out of nowhere, his wand raised as he glares at Voldemort. They’re seventeen as they can do nothing but watch as the battlefield stills, because these next moments will decide the fate of them all. 

They are seventeen when the Dark Lord falls, when Harry catches the Elder Wand, the wand they had all heard about as children, in his hand. They’re seventeen when the war is won, when the fighting stops. Friends search for each other, family members desperately calling each other’s names. In the great hall, the tables are pushed against the wall, and gently the fallen are laid out in rows. 

They are seventeen when they settle on one of the long benches, leaning together as they fall into an exhausted sleep. They’re seventeen when Draco’s parents find them there, chest rising and falling in unison, still bound as one. Professor McGonagall purses her lips when she sees Lucius and Narcissa, but she had seen what they’d cared about during the fight, and she briefly draws them aside, asking them to meet her in the headmaster’s office later that evening to discuss the pair or students. 

They are seventeen when they wake up, taking what little comfort they can in their unity when they see the rows of dead before them. They’re seventeen and they grieve for Lupin and Tonks, grieve for Fred Weasley, grieve for Dumbledore the year before and for Cedric Diggory all that time ago, the cause of their first melding. 

They are seventeen when McGonagall steers them to the Headmaster’s office, which is now hers, they suppose. They’re seventeen when Professor McGonagall explains the basic idea of their bond, the bond she’s known about since the last Triwizard Task, to a tight-faced Lucius and a pale Narcissa. Lucius coldly asks if there’s a way to sever the bond, and they protest, startling Lucius with two voices perfectly in unison. McGonagall politely informs him that the bond is permanent, and from what she’s seen, it only gets stronger as the two of them grow. They are seventeen when Lucius Malfoy goes red-faced and sputters about blood purity. They’re seventeen when fear resurfaces, the fear of him that they’ve buried for so long. Lucius is on the cusp of disowning his son when Narcissa slaps him and says that if he casts Draco out of the family he’d better boot her out too. 

They are seventeen when they finally separate again, holding each other in the privacy of their now empty classroom. They’re seventeen when Draco breathes a marriage proposal into Katie’s ear, and she just hugs him tighter, because he already knows her answer. 

Draco is eighteen when he stands next to the official, trying not to fidget as he waits for Katie to come down the aisle. He’s eighteen when his breath is stolen, because Katie looks _so beautiful_ in white. Katie blushes, but her smile is the biggest she’s ever had. 

Draco is eighteen when he marries his best friend, just a month and a half after the Battle of Hogwarts. He’s eighteen when their wedding kiss is only their second kiss, but it’s a promise of many, many more to come. 

Draco is eighteen and his life has turned out differently than he ever thought it would. He’s eighteen when he laces his fingers with Katie’s as they watch the sunset, both of them excited and nervous about the future, but ready to face it together, as one.

**Author's Note:**

> Kathryn Mayfield is my own character.


End file.
